want to solve fertilizing debate.

[Sueg4332]

A friend of mind say her son keeps his pure bred chickens separated at night and keeps them penned up for awhile in the morning so the rooster has time to breed his hens. Than he turns all the breeds loose to free range. He believes the eggs are already fertized so the chicks for those hens will be pure breds.
I don't believe that true and would not practice that kind of breeding myself.
I've never heard that kind of breeding practice.

any thoughts so I can let the gentleman know.
PS he has many different breeds....

 

[chefchick]

I wouldn't count on it. My roo breeds all day everyday whenever he wants. And hens can be fertile for several days after mating....

 

[Sueg4332]

I thought so. but convincing him might be a different story. I just kept my mouth shut and raised a eye brow on this one. I pick my battles....
Want to prove it with information. He sells these chicks as pure breds at Oklahoma chicken sales. I don't even know what type of chickens he has.
He is as addicted as me about hatching so He is having fun anyway.....

 

[farmin4fun]

From my understanding his theory is quite flawed and I highly doubt all of his chickens are pure bred. I would not attempt to obtain a pure bred from him. Sounds like the chances are 50/50 at best.

I do think it's wise not to pick this battle. I doubt you could convince him otherwise. Although it does bother me when people claim/advertise something that may or may not be true. Glad he is having fun though. I think having chickens can be a healthy hobby for kids.

 

[bugglesmommy]

I have had a mutt chick over a month after purchasing a pullet. Roosters are going to mate whenever they feel like it and with whatever hen he can catch. I wouldn't even put it at a 50% chance of getting a purebred from this guy. It really irks me when people are misled, be it on purpose or through mind blowing ignorance about their chicks. If that Guy can get confused over something like that, there's no telling what else he's messing up. I wouldn't take one of these chicks for free.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

There's no possible way. Multiple roosters can fertilize each hen, and sperm remains in the hen for up to three weeks. Hens store sperm within their bodies in seminal tubes. The sperm from the most recent mating is on top of the sperm from the earlier mating, but the egg passes by the seminal tubes as it is laid and the sperm that fertilizes that egg could be from either male. Add to that the fact that a hen can reject sperm from a mating if she wants to, and there is no way to know which rooster fathered which chick in this situation. Even worse, sperm can remain in the seminal tubes for up to three weeks, so a rooster that was in with the hens three weeks ago might still be the daddy of an egg the hen laid.

Hasn't this guy ever stopped to watch his flock? My roosters are mating hens about every five minutes all day long.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I wouldn't count on it. My roo breeds all day everyday whenever he wants. And hens can be fertile for several days after mating....

Believe it or not, it's more like three weeks. To be sure I'm getting the genetics I want, I separate the hens with the roo I want for a full month before hatching those eggs.

 

[Sueg4332]

From my understanding his theory is quite flawed and I highly doubt all of his chickens are pure bred. I would not attempt to obtain a pure bred from him. Sounds like the chances are 50/50 at best.

I do think it's wise not to pick this battle. I doubt you could convince him otherwise. Although it does bother me when people claim/advertise something that may or may not be true. Glad he is having fun though. I think having chickens can be a healthy hobby for kids.

He is not a kid 40 something years old

 

[Ridgerunner]

Here is a very long video by an expert that discusses a lot of interesting things about chicken reproduction, including last in – first out with rooster mating. Anyone that can set through this can pick up some really interesting things but it is very long and the sound is not always great. WOS, I think you’d enjoy it but set aside some time

I consider Dr. Bramwell one of the very top people in the country as far as chicken reproduction. According to him, the last rooster to successfully mate will be the father of the chick.

WalkingOnSunshine makes a lot of good points about successful matings. Even if you see them mate, it may not be successful, wither from the hen’s doings or the roosters. In the situation the OP describes there is no telling which rooster fathers the chick.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Here is a very long video by an expert that discusses a lot of interesting things about chicken reproduction, including last in – first out with rooster mating. Anyone that can set through this can pick up some really interesting things but it is very long and the sound is not always great. WOS, I think you’d enjoy it but set aside some time

I consider Dr. Bramwell one of the very top people in the country as far as chicken reproduction. According to him, the last rooster to successfully mate will be the father of the chick.

WalkingOnSunshine makes a lot of good points about successful matings. Even if you see them mate, it may not be successful, wither from the hen’s doings or the roosters. In the situation the OP describes there is no telling which rooster fathers the chick.

Thanks, Ridgerunner! Bring on the science!